The short and violent life of theMacedonianking Alexander the Great offers a useful case study in warโs repercussions for cultural heritage. As he fought his way through thePersian Empirein the late 4th century B.C.E., Alexander the Great famously destroyed monuments, such as the palace ofPersepolis, an important political and administrative center in present-day Iran. At the same time, his conquest of the rich and powerful ancient kingdom of theAchaemenidsalso encouraged the creation of new works of art, for example,portraits of Alexanderby the celebrated artists Lysippos and Apelles. And in his later years, Alexander became an increasingly significant rebuilder of monuments like the ziggurat ofBabylon, better known as the Biblical Tower of Babel.
